Future Perspective
by Zutara Fan Forever
Summary: Zuko and Katara get sent to the future by accidentally angering an ancient spirit during a fight. They must find their way back home before it's too late for their time. But the last thing they expected to do was fall in love. Zutara
1. The Future

**_Future Perspective – Chapter 1 – The Future – By SetoAngel01_**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or any of the characters, so please do not sue me!

**Well, this is story I just had to write, I hope you like it and please comment! **

Summary: 'Zuko and Katara get sent to our time by accidentally angering an ancient spirit during a fight. They must find their way back home before it's too late for their time. But they never expected to fall in love. Zutara'

(On With The Story!)

"Damn…" Zuko growled under his breath as he hit the ground hard feeling a sharp stone rip through his thigh after his defense missed Katara's latest attack.

"I'm never going to let you win! My will to win is greater then yours!" Katara shouted angrily at the Prince.

'Why is she always trying to act so fucking perfect? If she only knew how wrong she was…' Zuko thought angrily as he stood to his feet ignoring the pain in his left thigh. Katara noticed the blood on his leg and flinched knowing that she did that to him. She felt bad, but just tried to ignore it.

After they both started to bend their elements for another round, the earth beneath then began to crack and rumble loudly. "What's going on?" Katara asked no one in particular as she looked around to see if an earthhbender was nearby watching their fight moving the earth.

Zuko started to feel faint as he felt the blood dripping heavily from his newly acquired leg wound. Katara noticed he seemed a bit distant and not even trying to attack while she was distracted. Zuko's vision started to get blurry before he fell to his knees. Katara gasped before running over to him but before she got to a 5-foot distance, everything around them became black.

Katara gasped looking to her left to see a large ghostly spirit growl before her world became black. Katara opened her eyes as she blinked a few times to clear her vision. After it became clear, she found herself looking at the dark night sky. She looked around and gasped noticing this wasn't the place she battled Zuko.

In the distance, she noticed lights that weren't of fire or the sun. Katara gasped never seeing anything like it before. She stood up and started to run but tripped. She fell to the ground with a thud and noticed she tripped over Zuko who was lying motionless on the ground. She faintly seen red knowing his leg was still bleeding.

"Oh my God…" Katara whispered as she laid her hand on his back. "Zuko?" she asked softly praying he would answer. Katara waited a few seconds not receiving any response from the Prince. She felt tears began to build in her eyes expecting the worse. She felt a lump in her throat remembering she's the one to cause him that injury.

"Zuko…" Katara whispered before turning him onto his back and pulling him into her arms. She laid her head on his shoulder and felt the tears fall from her eyes as she held him tightly in her arms. "H---How… How could I…? How…?" she whispered as her voice began to falter.

Katara began to shake before feeling his back began to rise and fall as he began to breathe. "Zuko!" She shouted joyfully as she laid him back down to try and wake him up. "Zuko, wake up…" She whispered as she patted his face lightly. "Come on…"

Zuko moaned softly as he closed his eyes tightly before opening them slowly. Katara seen the gold from his eyes shine and smiled happily. Zuko's eyes closed again before his head turned to the side passing out from loss of blood. "Oh my!" a woman's voice said to her right as Katara snapped her neck over to the voice.

An elderly woman stood on the sidewalk about 6 feet away from where Katara was kneeling by the unconscious Prince. The woman had a strange creature Katara never really seen before on a blue leash before she ran over to the teens. "What happened here? Is he alright?" the woman asked looking at them strangely because of their very strange clothes and hairstyles.

Katara furrowed her browns at the woman but had a good feeling about her. Katara didn't answer as the woman bent down and laid her hand on Zuko's cheek. "He's very cold. But he's just passed out." She said as she looked at Katara who was still wondering what on earth was going on. "What's your name, young lady?" she asked.

"Katara." Katara answered understanding her. She had no idea where they were, but at least they spoke the same language.

"Where are your parents?" the woman asked laying her hand on Katara's shoulder.

"My dad's at war and my mom died when I was a young girl." Katara answered.

"Oh you poor thing. Where are you and your brother staying?" the woman asked.

"Brother?" Katara asked.

"Isn't he your brother?" the woman asked motioning to Zuko.

"No." Katara answered almost wanting to laugh. They looked nothing alike.

"Oh. Well, do you want me to help you get home?" she asked.

"I don't have a home." Katara answered getting used to the fact she might be lost and had to get some answers.

"You don't? Well, you're coming with me!" she said as she stood up.

Katara knew she could trust her and nodded. "Okay." Katara replied.

"Great. But… can you carry him?" she asked.

"I could just drag him." Katara said smiling softly.

"Oh no! Don't do that. Oh my… What happened to his leg?" she asked seeing the stain of red on the grass.

"Oh yeah…" Katara bent down ripping a piece of cloth from her clothes and wrapped it tightly around his leg to help stop the bleeding. Afterward, Katara pulled him up and positioned him so he could walk on his own with one of her arms around his waist.

"Alright, that'll do fine. Come on." The woman said as she led the them out of a park. She walked over to her silver automobile and Katara gasped never seeing a thing like that in her entire life.

"What's that?" Katara asked as the woman let the animal on the leash get in the front seat before helping Katara get Zuko in the back seat.

"What's what, dear?" the woman asked as she seated Zuko and put the seatbelt over his chest.

"This." Katara said, motioning to the vehicle.

"The car, you mean?" the woman asked giving Katara a strange look.

"Car?" Katara asked.

"You've never seen a car before?" she asked.

"No." Katara answered shaking her head.

"Oh." The woman said as she gave Katara a strange look before leading Katara to the other side and letting her get in and her seatbelt on. After Katara got in, she felt the engine roar and screamed. "What's wrong?" the elderly woman asked panicked as she seen Katara breathing hard with her eyes wide.

"Uh…" Katara squeaked as her breathing began to calm down.

After they finally made it to the woman's home, Katara quickly got out hating riding in one of those cars. "You alright? Oh, and I'm sorry for not introducing myself. My name is Marianne." She said as she smiled brightly.

"That's a pretty name." Katara complimented.

"Thank you. Now, let's take that cute young man inside." She said as she walked around the car to help Zuko out.

"Cute?" Katara asked as she smiled blushing slightly.

After they got Zuko in the house with the small animal following them, Marianne led them into a guest room. "Here you go." She said as she walked in and pulled back the covers. After Katara laid him on the bed, Marianne walked into a small room on the left side of the room and came back out a few seconds out with a white kit.

"Let's take care of those wounds." Marianne said as she walked over to Zuko's bedside and pulled up his pant leg as she was still mesmerized by his clothes. After cleaning up the wound the best she could, she applied a white bandage and put the supplies away.

"It's so nice having visitors. I never had any children of my own… This is really nice." Marianne said as she laid her hand on Katara's shoulder. "Would you like to change out of those clothes?" she asked seeing the dirty strange clothes they were wearing.

"That'll be nice, thank you." Katara said sweetly.

"Alright, I'll be right back." Marianne said leaving the room. Katara sighed deeply after the elderly woman had left as Katara's eyes drifted over to Zuko. She reached over and touched Zuko's hand as she wondered why this had happened. She had to get back to her time and quick. She had no idea where or when they were.

Katara seen their strange machines, houses, clothes, animals, and buildings and knew it had to be sometime in the future, she just didn't know when. "I'm glad you're here, Zuko… I'd be scared if I was on my own…" Katara whispered as she gripped his hand.

"Oh, so his name is Zuko, huh?" Marianne's' voice came from the doorway. Katara gasped quickly letting go of the Prince's hand and looked at the elderly woman.

"That's a very neat name." Marianne said as she laid some clothes on the end of the bed. "These are some of my husband's older clothes and here's some of my niece's outfits."

"Oh, your husband? Where is he now?" Katara asked happily.

"He died a few years back." Marianne replied as she went through the clothes she just laid out.

"Oh… I'm so sorry…" Katara said sympathetically.

"It's alright. He went very peacefully and he lived a long life. We all can't live forever, you know…" Marianne replied as she handed Katara an outfit.

"Thank you…" Katara said.

"You can go change in the bathroom right there." Marianne said pointing to the room where she got the white kit.

"Okay." Katara obliged before getting up and entering the door. A few minutes later, Katara walked out.

"Oh, you look great, there's a mirror right there." Marianne said as she pointed to the wall and Katara walked over to it and seen her reflection. She was surprised normally only being able to see her reflection in the water. Katara seen the clothes and gave a strange look. "Not your style?" Marianne asked seeing Katara's look.

"I never seen clothes like this before…" Katara replied.

"Oh really? Where are you from anyway?" Marianne asked.

"From the Southern Water Tribe." Katara replied as she turned around and looked at her reflection over her shoulder.

Marianne gave a strange look having only heard of that place in the extremely old history books she owned from being a teacher in her younger 30's. "Oh…" Marianne said in a suspicious voice, but just ignored it. "Well, you should get some rest. You can sleep in the other room. Follow me."

"Can I stay here with Zuko?" Katara asked. Marianne looked shocked at the young teen. "What?" Katara asked.

"I think it's best you stay in the other room. You can see him in the morning" Marianne said leading Katara out of the room and shutting the door behind them. After Marianne led Katara upstairs to another spare room, she smiled before saying a quick 'good night' and leaving Katara for the night.

(To Be Continued…)


	2. New Time, New Traditions

**_Future Perspective – Chapter 2 – New Time, New Traditions – By SetoAngel01_**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender of any of the characters, so please do not sue me!

**Thanks for the comments! Here's chapter 2. I hope you like it. **

(On With The Story!)

Zuko's eyes slowly opened as the blurriness in his vision became crystal-clear. He looked around the room and wondered where the hell he was. "What the fuck happened?" Zuko growled as he tried to sit up but his tired body wasn't quite ready for that task and he fell back onto the soft bed again. Zuko closed his eyes feeling an aching and throbbing pain on his leg still.

"Oh damn…" Zuko hissed as he tried once again to get up. He succeeded this time as he threw his legs over the bed. It was still a little dark and he bent a small flame to get some more light in the room. He looked to a window and seen the dark black sky knowing it was still night. "Where the hell?" Zuko groaned as he painfully stood to his feet.

(Katara's Bedroom)

Katara sighed deeply as she pulled her legs to her chest and hugged them. She was scared as heck and was willing to give anything to get back home. She felt desperate. She wanted someone to talk to before she went insane. She felt alone in this. She was in a strange world and time that she knew nothing about and was scared to know she might never make it back.

"I have to see Zuko." Katara decided before she stood to her feet and quietly made her way downstairs trying her hardest not to wake the elderly woman or her strange creature. Katara seen a light she recognized as fire glowing dimly at the bottom left of the stairs. "Zuko." Katara said before she silently went down the stairs.

Zuko walked around the strange place not knowing where the hell he was. He heard footsteps behind him and softly turned around posed to attack when he seen the startled waterbender breathing heavily putting her hands up in surrender. "You…" Zuko growled before igniting more fire in his hands.

"Stop…" Katara whispered as she shook her head.

"What the hell did you do!?" He shouted.

"Shh!" Katara hushed as she put her finger over her lips.

"Why should I?" he asked.

"I need to talk to you. And I want to tell you that I didn't do this! Wait… Why the heck are you even standing up? You're hurt!" Katara said as she walked over to him.

"I'm fine, alright?" Zuko growled.

"Please let me help you! You're so stubborn!" Katara shouted.

"What's going on!?" Marianne shouted as she stood at the top of the stairs but accidentally tripped over her small companion and came flying over the edge and heading to her doom at the bottom of the stairs. Katara gasped harshly wanting to do something but her body wouldn't move.

Zuko quickly ran to the end of the stairs calculating where she would fall and caught her easily in his strong arms. "Oh my…" Marianne whispered seeing how his young man even with his injury was able to show such amazing speed, agility, and strength.

"Oh, thank Heavens…" Katara breathed in relief as Zuko let her down easily.

"Thank you, young man… You saved my life…" she breathed deeply as she tried to relax once again.

"Whatever." Zuko replied in his normal sarcastic tone.

Katara almost wanted to cry. She never thought Zuko would care about anyone else beside himself… "Here, you should be in bed. Now, come on." She said motioning to Zuko who rolled his eyes, but followed knowing that this lady was kind enough to take care of him. After Zuko sat on the bed, he pulled his leg up and removed the bandages that were soaked in blood.

"Want me to get another bandage?" Katara asked as she walked into the room.

"That'll be great, Katara." Marianne said with a smile on her face as she tossed the bloody bandage into a trash a few feet away. "Does it hurt?" Marianne asked the Prince as she looked up into his unique golden eyes.

"Not really." Zuko replied in a dry tone.

"You have really pretty eyes… I never thought golden eyes existed…" Marianne said in wonder as the continued to look into them. She felt the coldness in the depths of gold and knew this young teen was very powerful.

Zuko didn't reply. He just sighed deeply before leaning back slightly on the bed with his arms holding him up. "Here we go." Katara said as she walked back into the room with the white kit. After handing it to Marianne who took out a bandage, Katara went to g put it back.

"What year is it?" Zuko asked coolly.

"Year? You don't even know the year?" Marianne asked wondering if these teens had been living under a rock their whole life. "It's 2006." Marianne said after realizing Zuko wasn't going to answer.

"2006? A.D?" Zuko asked again.

"Yes, that's right." Marianne replied.

'It can't be…' Zuko thought as he let his head hang slightly knowing they were about 1,800 years in the future.

After Marianne finished applying the new bandage, she stood up. "So, you guys hungry?" she asked knowing it was still very early, but they had had a long night.

"Yeah." Katara replied happily. Marianne smiled and left the room with Katara following close behind. "Well, come on, Zuko." Katara said as she looked back over her shoulder at the firebending Prince. Katara looked at him and seen his head still downcast and he continued not to answer her. "Zuko?" she asked walking over to him and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Do you know it's 2006 A.D.?" Zuko asked the waterbender.

"What?" Katara asked in a shocked voice.

"You have to tell me everything that happened! We have to get back!" Zuko said in a determined voice as he stood to his feet.

"Yeah, I know, but how?" Katara replied in a doubtful voice.

"We'll find a way! We just have to get out of here! There has to be something we can do to change what happened." Zuko said.

"But…" Katara said trying to talk some sense.

"What are you two doing? Come on!" Marianne said cheerfully when Zuko was about to band fire angrily.

"Don't!" Katara shouted as she threw her hands over his. "We can't go any bending here!"

"Why the hell not?" Zuko growled.

"I doubt it's a way of defense anymore! It's how many years in the future?" Katara said trying to change the Prince's mind of being his normal hotheaded self.

"Fine, but you better promise that by sunrise, we're leaving!" Zuko tried to compromise.

"Sunrise? But Zuko, we have to figure out what exactly to do and where on earth to go so we can get back! We can't just leave without knowing anything about this time!" Katara replied.

"Damn, alright! One week!" Zuko growled.

"Well…" Katara said thinking about what he just told her. "Okay, at least that's more time." She continued getting up. "Come on." She said handing her hand to him.

"I can get up fine on my own." Zuko growled before standing to his feet and tried to hide that it really hurt to do so. After they followed the elderly woman into the spacious kitchen, Katara looked around at the beautiful wallpaper, stoves, microwave, and other appliances she had never seen before.

Zuko sat down at the table as she ground his teeth waiting for the pain to subside. "You alright, young man?" Marianne asked from the stove she was cooking at.

"I'm fine." Zuko mumbled back before leaning back and crossing his arms.

"Do you think we should take him to the hospital?" Marianne whispered to Katara.

"What's a hospital?" Katara asked.

"It's a place with doctors that help you if something is wrong with you and they make it better." Marianne said as if she was explaining to a child.

"Oh." Katara said surprised that healers were around anymore either.

"Looks like your methods are outdated too." Zuko said to the waterbender as he gave a slight smirk.

"Shut up." Katara said in a hushed voice in a reply to the Prince.

"Well, it's ready." Marianne said cheerfully as she ladled some hot broth into 2 bowls and laid them in front of them. "This will warm you up and it'll help you two calm down and get right to bed so you can get up for school tomorrow."

"**School**?" Katara asked in a shocked voice as she almost spewed out the broth.

"Why yes! Everyone your age has to go to school." Marianne replied as she laid some saltines on the table.

"What is school?" Katara asked wondering if it was anything like having to be taught waterbending.

"School is basically learning history, mathematics, science, proper grammar, chemistry, geography, and learning social skills." Marianne explained. Katara stared at the woman chocked as Zuko shook his head knowing that Katara should have just listened to him and they wouldn't have to deal with all this hell. "Oh, and I'll go get you some crutches until your leg heals." Marianne continued knowing Zuko would have a time doing all that walking without something to help him along.

Marianne left to go back to bed after a few minutes as Katara finished the broth while her thoughts flew all over the place. Zuko sighed deeply hating the taste of the stuff after the first bite. "Well, good night." Zuko said as he left the room. Katara knew she should have listened to him and actually hated the fact that he was right…

(To Be Continued…)


	3. School

**_Future Perspective – Chapter 3 – School – By SetoAngel01_**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, so please do not sue me!

**Wow, thanks for all the comments. I just hope you like it this chapter and please comment!**

(On With The Story!)

Katara walked back into her room that was provided for her and lied down on the bed feeling better and less frightened knowing Zuko was going to be okay. Katara closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall asleep. The next morning, Katara was awakened by an annoying droning beep on her left.

"Time to get up, Katara!" Marianne said as she walked into her room. "I called the school and they said they would let you attend class today as long as I fill out the paperwork during it."

Katara just sat up and sighed deeply throwing her legs over the bed. "Zuko, could you come here, please?" Marianne asked as Katara heard footsteps approaching her room. Zuko walked in with tight jeans and an even tighter black t-shirt. He seemed as if it didn't even hurt much to walk since she noticed he wasn't limping whatsoever even with a large pack over his shoulder.

"I feel like an absolute idiot…" Zuko mumbled as Katara stared at the muscles that were rippling out from under the thin cotton.

"You look fine. It's a lot better them all the baggy clothes that hang down to their knees that the teenage boys wear these days." Marianne said before handing Katara a skirt and dressy top.

"Still, there has to be a law against this…" Zuko hissed as he crossed his arms.

"Well, let's leave Miss Katara so she can change. We'll go get you guys some new clothes after school." Marianne said as she gently pushed Zuko out the door.

Katara fiddled for the clothes for about ten minutes having no idea in hell how to put these strange clothes on. After twenty more minutes, she finally figured it out and walked out the door with the strange shoes that Marianne has left for her on the chair in her hands.

"Come on, Katara! We're already late!" Marianne shouted up the stairs.

"What do I do with these?" Katara asked as she held up the shoes.

"Just put them on dear! We have to go!" she shouted as she gently nudged Zuko out he door. After Zuko slid them on, she ran down the stairs almost falling 3 times before she reached the bottom. After running out the door, she seen the demon car and growled.

"I can't ride in that car! It hates me!" Katara grumbled as she tried to drag along the heavy backpack Marianne had left for her.

"Oh just suck it up! It's just a machine! It's not alive…" Zuko growled before plopping down on the dark gray seating and slouched down in the seat.

"It still hates me!" Katara growled before putting on her seatbelt and Marianne took off. After they arrived at the large building, Marianne got out with the two teens following.

"Wait!" Zuko said tapping the old woman on the shoulder.

"What is it, Zuko?" Marianne asked turning to the handsome teen.

"What do I do about this?" Zuko asked as he pointed to the large scar on the left side of his face.

"Hmm… Here." Marianne said reaching into her purse and pulling out some dark glasses. Zuko looked at them strangely not knowing that the heck to do with them. "Here." Marianne said lifting them and put them on him. "Perfect, now let's go."

Once they were inside, Katara started looking around the large white interior and colorful banners with some strange sort of writing. "Okay, here are your class schedules. Just find the right classes while I fill out these papers." Marianne said as she handed them each a piece of paper.

Zuko and Katara stared at the strange writing for about 5 minutes not knowing what the hell it said. "Um… Marianne?" Katara asked.

"What is it, dear?" Marianne asked wondering why they didn't leave yet.

"I can't read this…" Katara said. Marianne noticed the confused look in Katara's eyes knowing she was telling the truth.

"Maybe I should take you to class…" Marianne said before leading them to a door down the hall. "Here you two, go. Have a good day!"

Katara opened the door and Zuko followed her inside while everyone's eyes went to them and Katara felt very embarrassed. "Um…" Katara tried to say but she just felt herself sweating instead.

"We're new here." Zuko said for her.

"Oh yes!" the young teacher said as she approached them. Her eyes ate at Zuko's body as she tried to keep the professional air about her. "Just find a seat and we can get started." After Katara found 2 vacant seats by each other, Zuko followed and sat next to her. "First of all, I am your Math teacher, Miss Angelina. Now, what are your names?" she asked.

"I'm Katara." Katara said as she noticed some of the boys already taking an interest in her and felt a bit weird about it.

"That's an interesting name. What's yours?" she asked smiling seductively at Zuko.

"Zuko." Zuko replied in a bored tone.

"Wow… That's a beautiful name… I love that… Well, let's get back to the lesson. Okay. Today we're leaning geometry. And this hexagon…" she began to drone.

Zuko sighed deeply as he played with a yellow stick with a pointy end he found in his backpack. He wrote on a piece of paper he found too and just wrote nonsense away. His writing was very different then what these people wrote. The teacher walked around as she wanted the kids to work on this problem. Angelina passed Zuko's desk just wanting to get closer to him.

It was entirely rare to find a man that looked like him. Especially his hairstyle. Angelina saw his muscles under his seducing black shirt and the large bulge in his tight pants. She felt herself more turned on by the second. She knew this foreign exchange student, which is how as Marianne described them, were very different. She had never heard of a country that used styles like they had.

Angelina looked down at Zuko's paper and was taken back by the type of lettering he used. It was like calligraphy. "Um, Zuko, what language is that you're writing?" she asked. She knew he used English to speak, but this writing was ancient and hadn't been seen in millenniums.

"It's the only one I know…" Zuko replied in a bored tone as he tried to write the problem she had on the chalkboard even though Zuko had no idea what it said.

"That lettering hasn't been seen for thousands of years. How do you know it?" she asked laying her hand on his shoulder trying to be inconspicuous about her action.

"This is the way I was taught." Zuko answered wondering why the hell she was touching him.

"Oh… So, you don't know how to write Roman numerals or letters?" Angelina asked.

"What are those?" Zuko asked giving her a strange look. Angelina looked at his face and seen the red scar underneath the glasses he was wearing. She felt herself want to jump on him and make her hers, but just the aura around his boy was frightening. She sensed the power that lied just right beneath the surface. This wasn't just any ordinary teen.

"Listen, I'll give you a private class to try and teach you since you don't seem to even know how to write our language." Angelina said knowing she'll have alone time with him.

"You have to teach her too." Zuko said motioning to the girl beside him almost at the point of banging her head on the desk in frustration.

"Oh." Angelina said in disappointment. "Well, of course. That's why I'm here." She tried her hardest not to get angry as she began to walk to the front of the class. "Pencils down!"

The class put down their pencils as she began to go around and collecting the papers. "Zuko, what was she saying?" Katara asked the Firebender as she laid her hand on his shoulder.

"She's going to hold a class so we'll learn something about Romans or something." Zuko said completely forgetting what she said.

"Oh really?" Katara asked. "Good, because I have no idea what those strange markings mean." After Katara allowed those words to come forth from her lips, she found herself looking at the profile of the teenage Prince. Katara was wondering to herself that in the last 12 hours, things have gotten pretty strange, and now she was sitting next to the only piece of the past she had left.

And he was her enemy.

Zuko let out a deep exasperated sigh as he ran his slender and callous fingers along the wood of this so-called 'desk' as the teacher continued to drone on about something that neither him nor Katara understood. Zuko caught himself sighing again as his thoughts flooded with the events that had occurred no longer then a dozen hours ago. Zuko never would imagine in his wildest dreams he would get caught 1,800 years in the future especially with the waterbender sitting next to him.

After all, she was his enemy.

A shrill bell made both Katara and Zuko jump from their seats. Zuko quickly realized he was about to firebend and quickly laid his hands by his sides as he noticed the startled waterbender standing shakily next to him. "Alright, I'll see you tomorrow." Angelina said after the bell went off as a stampede of the rest of the teens in the class darted toward the door.

Zuko was trying to stuff all of the papers and pencils into the bag Marianne gave them. Katara was on the floor picking up all of her papers that had fallen to the floor during the fiasco with the loud bell. A teenage girl in the class was about to leave when she seen Zuko calmly placing the papers into his backpack. A sly smile appeared on her face as she looked up and down the young man's body and noticed his large muscles located in his chest, arms, and abdomen.

Guys weren't built like him these days, so she knew he had to be a foreign exchange student when even if the strange hairstyle wasn't enough to expose that. After building up some confidence by running her hair through her blonde hair quite quickly and yanking up her already atrociously short skirt and pulling down her low cut shirt even lower to expose some cleavage, she walked over to the black haired teen.

"Hello." She said loudly trying to get Zuko's attention, but his eyes and focus stayed on the rebellious book that wouldn't fit into his backpack. "Hello?" the blonde girl said again, this time, her hand touching his hard muscled back. Zuko flinched softly, fighting the urge to use a defense maneuver, but instead just looking over his shoulder at the blonde teen looking back at him with large light blue eyes.

"What?" Zuko said quite angrily as he furrowed his brows at her.

"Well, I see you're new here, so I was wondering if I could show you around." She said in a soft seductive voice as she places her hand on his shoulder and slowly ran it down along his bicep.

"That would be great!" Katara intercepted as she quickly stood up off the floor before Zuko could growl a 'no'.

The blonde's expression quickly changed when she seen the dark-skinned brunette get off of the floor and stood up with a mess of papers in her hands. "Oh, well…" The blonde said wishing she could take her offer back.

"That's very nice of you, Krista!" Angelina said overhearing the conversation between the two foreign exchange students and the blonde cheerleader. "I'll tell your teacher to let you skip next hour to show them around." Angelina said to the blonde cheerleader.

"Uh… Thanks, miss…" Krista groaned trying to fight the aggravating sound in her voice.

Zuko sighed deeply as he finally was able to zip the backpack shut and throw it over his shoulder. Katara smiled softly thinking staying in this time might not be as bad as she originally thought, but little did she know how bad it would have to get before it got any better…

(To Be Continued…)


	4. All That's Left

**_Future Perspective – Chapter 4 – All That's Left – By SetoAngel01_**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, so please do not sue me!

**Thank you all for the comments! Hope you enjoy the new chapter! **

(On With The Story!)

Katara zipped up her backpack after filling it with the fallen papers as her and Zuko began to follow the now sulking Krista. "Well, this is the hallway, the door on your right is Mr. Anderson's room. He's the history teacher." Krista said in a bored tone. Katara was walking in-between the blonde and the Prince, which was basically the reason Krista was a bit pissed.

Krista just seemed to drone on much like the math teacher did according to Zuko. Zuko let out a deep sigh as he tried his hardest to listen, but feared if he did, he's fall asleep while walking, which seemed a bit stupid to do. Zuko listened to the sound of their feet walking across the empty fall and especially to the gentle tapping noise that came with every footstep he took.

Zuko's senses were just as strong as ever with his differencing of sounds and being able to drown out talking and the two remaining people's footsteps to just hear his own. Zuko sighed once again wondering if it had really come to the point where he had to differentiate his own footsteps to relieve some of the overwhelming boredom.

"Zuko?" Katara asked softly when Krista was concentrating on whatever she was saying in terms to the tour.

"What?" Zuko replied as his eyes watched his own feet as if they were had just formed into something very fascinating.

"Is something wrong?" Katara asked as she reached to grab the Prince's hand, but he moved it out of the way before she could make contact with it.

"I'm fine." Zuko replied with no emotion whatsoever. Katara sighed after hearing Zuko's answer, but knew she couldn't really do anything to make Zuko really tell her what was on his mind. As the three teens made their way down their hall, Krista began to walk about a foot in front of the other two. Zuko saw a perfect opportunity to make a move coming up in the next few moments that was too good to pass up.

Without warning, Zuko grabbed the waterbender's hand and pulled her into a forked hallway that was corresponding differently to the rest of how the hallways were manufactured. Katara gasped at Zuko's motion but allowed herself to be pulled in his wanted direction. Zuko felt his back gently come in contact with the hallway's row of lockers, he felt Katara run into his chest a few seconds later. Zuko's hand was holding the back of Katara's head making her lean her cheek against his muscled chest.

Katara's cheeks immediately burned a dark red color at the feel of his muscled chest that might as well have been bare because the thin shirt wasn't leaving anything at all to the imagination. Katara gripped her fists that were lying on his chest on both sides of her head. Zuko sighed deeply in relief after hearing Krista's footsteps grow lighter and lighter as they became more distant.

Zuko gasped when he finally realized that the waterbender was still lying on his chest. After harshly pushing her off his chest without getting any warning, Katara fell hard on her back. Katara groaned in pain when she felt her body hit the hard floor. Tears immediately began to form in her closed eyes as she curled herself into a fetal position on the floor. Zuko's eyes immediately filled with guilt as he seen her pain-filled face. "I…" Zuko tried to say, but apologizing was something he wasn't used to doing, so no words came forth from his parted lips.

After taking a few shaky breaths, Katara sat up and held her left arm and looked down at the large bruise that was beginning to form on her tan skin. "Ouch…" Katara moaned as she ground her teeth trying to drown out the pain that erupted like a wave of fire on her arm. "W-W-hy d-did you do that?" Katara asked with tremors in her voice as she looked up at the Prince with tears still dwelling on the bottom rim of her eyes.

Zuko felt his breath come out shakily from his lips, and truthfully, he had no idea what to say. He had no clue why he established the need to shove her to the floor; but here he was looking down at the only piece of the past he now had. She was injured on the floor as a result of something he had done and seeing her like that produced a large lump in his throat. Zuko slowly knelt down low enough to be able to look into her eyes. Katara looked back into the lake of gold as she tried her hardest to put an end the tears that continued down her face.

"I'm sorry." Were the only two words that came from the Prince's lips, but for some unexplained reason, that was enough for her. After a few shaky sighs, Katara nodded in response to his apology. After Zuko seen her nod, he stood up and offered his hand to her. Katara looked at the hand being offered to her and after a few moments, she reached up with her uninjured arm and positioned her hand in his.

Katara cringed when she realized how wrong it felt. Katara somehow expected his hand to feel wrong, but when it didn't fit, it actually made her sense an overwhelming feeling of sadness. Unbeknownst to her, she had wanted it to feel right, but thoughts like that seemed a bit implausible and she decided she should just accept it. They were enemies, and even in this time, the past couldn't escape how they lived in the time of the warring nations. They would always be eternal enemies no matter how hard it was to acknowledge, it was how it was supposed to be no matter how immature it seemed.

After Katara placed her hand in his, Zuko realized from the moment their skin came in contact that they were still adversaries. Zuko felt her soft skin rubbing against his dry skin that was the result of the training with his element over the course of his life. Katara's hands were the result of working with her natural element that gave life and softness to anything it touched. They were too different and even in this time; it was still a stone-hard fact. Zuko swallowed the lump in this throat and against something he couldn't quite place, he gripped her hand and pulled her to her feet.

During their silence, so many questions were still yet unsorted as Zuko tried to decide what their next move should be. So many realizations had to be solved, but right now, they had to focus on the bigger picture of getting back home as impossible as it may seem. "We have to get back to where we're from." Zuko said plainly breaking the thick silence.

"How?" Katara asked before taking a deep sigh.

"I don't know, but we have to find a way. I don't know how much more of this I can take." Zuko explained as he placed his hand on his face before running it over the top of his head and to his queue. "Damn it." Zuko growled in frustration as he pulled at the fabric keeping it up so hard that it ripped and his coal black hair fell from its holdings and fell down just below to the tip of his back.

"What if we can't go back?" Katara asked trying to ignore the anger in the young man's voice.

"I'd rather have died on any battlefield in our time then have to stay here much longer." Zuko replied under his breath as his hand fell to his side. Katara heard what the Prince said and tried her hardest to keep her tears at bay. Katara turned her head away from him and her eyes settled on the white polished floor and not so much on the Prince in front of her. Katara's feet shuffled nervously on the flooring as she waited for Zuko to speak again, but she'd have to keep waiting because Zuko wasn't planning on speaking anytime soon.

Zuko's eyes were focusing on the floor as well. Seeing his reflection in the pallid floor sickened him to no end. The disfiguring of the scar on his face that was scarcely covered by a pair of dark cheap glasses wasn't going to change the person who was behind them. A Fire Nation Prince that was stuck in 1,800 years after he should have ceased to exist. This new world was alien territory to him and the girl and Zuko never really cared that much for any situation that he didn't have a way out of.

For some reason, Zuko wasn't upset with the girl even if she did irritate the hell out of him. To tell the truth, he actually was pretty relieved to have her with him then go it alone, which was completely against anything he ever proclaimed about his dignity. Finding a way home was his main priority, but for now, what did he expect to really do about it? Finding an ancient spirit in a world where everything seemed to be twisted and turned upside-down wasn't a simple task and blaming the waterbender wasn't going to help them get back home any sooner.

The frustration was daunting for both of them, but it seemed to affect Zuko more because that's just the way he's always been and Katara doubted he ever would change. "Zuko?" came Katara's gentle voice before she placed a tender hand on his shoulder hoping he wouldn't slap it away.

He didn't.

Zuko's eyes pulled up from the floor and onto Katara's sorrowful face. Zuko didn't say anything to cue her that it was okay to talk. He was just waiting for her to continue speaking of whatever she started talking about. "Listen, I don't know how to get back and I highly doubt we can figure out a way in the amount of time you want to. So, please…" Katara continued in a swift whisper as her hand gently grasped Zuko's thickly muscled shoulder.

"Please what?" Zuko asked in an emotionless tone as he really started to despise the way she was treating him even if she did absolutely nothing wrong.

"Please don't say those things…" Katara whispered in an even lower tone in response. Katara tried to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill, but as hard as she tried, she felt the moisture in her eyes getting close to dripping over her lower rims.

"Why not? What do you care?" Zuko growled before he finally struck her hand off his shoulder and began to turn away from her.

"Because you're all I have left!" Katara shouted loudly before she ran toward the Prince and wrapped her arms tightly around his taut waist. Katara felt the tears start trickling down her tanned cheeks as she felt his warmth against her body. Zuko flinched when he felt the girl wrap his arms around him. Zuko was about to push her off of him like before, but when he noticed the large bruise on her arm he had given her earlier, he hesitated to the point he decided not to do it.

Zuko allowed her to continue to embrace him as he felt a large sigh come deep from his throat and knew how alone she must feel. She didn't have her brother or the bald monk she doubtlessly had been accustomed to seeing and traveling with every day for about an entire year. Then in the blink of an eye, she was trapped with someone like him. To her, he was an enemy who had been pursuing them halfway around the world since they met each other. Zuko knew shy he wasn't pushing her away. It wasn't just the astonishing shame he had for hurting her earlier when it wasn't her mistake to begin with, it was because he felt precisely the exact way she did.

Zuko missed his uncle; he wouldn't contradict that. His uncle was the only one that had ever shown true love to him; his uncle not being here to push and encourage him at every dire turn was going to be difficult to get used to. But the most punishing fact was that he might never see his uncle again but even considering that built a pain in his heart that was all too familiar much like the day he had lost his mother. Zuko was brought out of his thoughts when he felt the waterbender suddenly squeeze his waist slightly tighter.

Zuko looked down to perceive the crown of her head as it was leaning up against his chest. Zuko now had to accept that she was the only thing he had left for now and perhaps even forever if they never get back. He didn't really enjoy it being that way, but there was no amount of him denying that fact that would change anything. He was going to have to live with it and as long as they were in this together, maybe it somehow would work out. Besides, was having her here with him such a really dreadful thing?

Zuko's eyebrows furrowed as he continued to look at her. She wasn't like any other woman he had previously met. This girl was strong-willed and wasn't willing to give up anything that meant something to her or to anyone else for that matter. She was very determined to help the Avatar and wasn't about to let anyone in their way from saving the world. Her fighting skills weren't bad either. She was actually a very talented and powerful waterbender as well as a passionate fighter and advisable foe that wasn't like the frightened child he had expected her to be when they first met.

Zuko never really took an interest in women because the ones that were provided in the Fire Nation palace were either dangerous firebenders with anger issues or clingy concubines who did nothing but try and get you into bed. But now as he was looking at the young woman holding him securely around the waist, he noticed how attractive she was. Long braided hair, athletic body, sapphire eyes, dark skin, and as he took in a deep breath, the slight smell of flowers filled his senses.

It wasn't just her physical beauty that made her attractive though. Although she was a very skilled and precise in her waterbending, the thing that Zuko noticed about her was her gentleness. He noticed that she was always very nurturing and encouraging to everyone she met even if that meant someone like him. Zuko then focused on the feeling of her wrapping her arms around his waist and wondered if this is what it actually felt like to be cared by a woman other then the lingering love of his mother.

The emotions that were coming from her couldn't be phony, so he knew she actually cared and seemed genuinely affected about the comments he had made earlier. Perhaps she was truly glad he was here. After comprehending that, Zuko let out a deep sigh before closing his eyes and wrapping his arms around the waterbender's body as he buried his face in her silky locks. Katara didn't seem to mind, so Zuko didn't pull away. Zuko held her and took in her heavenly scent knowing maybe being stuck with her wasn't as bad as it may have seemed initially.

Many thoughts surfaced about their quick and hasty actions, but the most provoking one was perhaps if they stopped to fight for even a moment, maybe they could have realized the feelings that they were sensing right now. Standing in the quiet hall still in a warm embrace was something they both never imagined they'd be doing. Especially with each other. Zuko and Katara took a deep breath simultaneously as they both continued to wonder what had just transpired, but right at this second, they really didn't seem to care.

(To Be Continued…)


	5. Reschedule

**_Future Perspective – Chapter 5 – Reschedule – By SetoAngel01_**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, so please do not sue me!

**Thanks for all the reviews! Hope you enjoy the next chapter! **

(On With The Story!)

Katara bit into her bottom lips when she felt Zuko's arms around her. Katara had to get over the initial shock of his action before she even realized what he had done. Katara let her head rest deeper into Zuko's chest until the point she could hear his strong heartbeat. Katara had no idea when Zuko had come to the point where he would hug her back, but when she felt his arms around her, she decided to stop wondering about Zuko's mind set and just take comfort in the fact he might care about her as well.

Zuko took a deep breath of her hair before he removed his arms from around her. Katara felt his warm arms leave her and Katara decided she had better release her arms around him. After her arms were back at her sides, the teenagers didn't look at each other. Neither knew if it was from some kind of vanity or another issue, but whatever the reason, words would be unnecessary at this point.

"There you two are!" came the voice of Angelina down the hall. She had just exited out of her classroom and was currently walking toward the teenagers. "Uh… Where's Krista?" she asked when she noticed the disappearance of the blonde cheerleader.

"She went back to her other classes." Zuko lied, knowing somewhere; she was likely roaming the halls of the school talking to herself, because Zuko believed she was too dimwitted to even notice their absence.

"Oh… Well, that's good. As a matter of fact, the lunchroom is empty, so I was wondering if this would be a good time to reschedule." Angelina explained.

"Reschedule what?" Zuko asked with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Your lessons. I was talking with the other teachers, and they believe that you two seem to not even recognize English lettering, so we're going to basically have to teach you the very basics. And since the lunchroom is empty, we thought you should start right away" Angelina replied.

"Listen, we're not even going to be staying here very long! Why bother?" Zuko asked.

"Not according to your guardian." Angelina replied. Zuko didn't answer. He just let out a deep sigh as his head fell as he tried to keep his rising anger under control.

"How long will it take?" Katara asked with a slight hint of panic in her voice. She did not want Zuko's anger to be pushed over the edge and some of the things this teacher was telling them couldn't be helping his temper.

"Well, it strictly depends on the both of you. I don't know what your learning rates are, so it depends." Angelina said. Katara's head fell after she heard the news as well. "But don't be discouraged! I talked to your guardian, and she said she'd help you as well." Angelina continued when she seen the change in them.

Angelina's eyes focused on the young man. Her eyes continued to eat as his body and she noticed he had taken out the red fabric holding his hair up and seeing it down excited her. It fell along his jaw line with his downward head and she smirked at the boy's fantastic body was only accentuated with the tight clothes he had on. She knew that she shouldn't be thinking about these thoughts, but how often would she be in contact with a boy like him?

"Should we go to the lunchroom now?" Katara asked, breaking the moment of silence that had befallen them.

"Sure. Go ahead. The cafeteria is at the end of the hall." Angelina said. "I'll be there in a minute. I think it's best you guys start your lessons right away. It's better then waiting until your grades are so low, it's impossible to bring them up." Angelina continued before she turned around and walked through a door about five feet away from them.

Zuko let out a degraded sigh before he motion for Katara to follow him as he began to make his way down the hall toward the lunchroom. "What are we going to do?" Katara asked when she felt the need for answers for the Prince's behavior. She knew she felt the same as him, so she shouldn't be judging him, but she did know that his attitude wasn't helping them either.

"I don't know." Zuko replied truthfully as they continued to walk down the white hall. "I just wish we never got in that fight in the first place. We wouldn't be in this situation if we didn't." Zuko continued.

Katara knew he was right and now as she thought about it, she had no idea what started that fight. She knew it had to do something with Zuko's pursuing of Aang to return to his father, but no specifics could be thoughts of. "Well, it's too late now. We're stuck here for the time being, and we should just get used to it." Katara replied as she looked at the Prince she was walking next to.

Zuko didn't answer. Too many things occurred that couldn't be explained. The strange spirit that they saw stranded them in the future for no reasonable explanation and how a spirit could even accomplish something like that was a feat of its own. Katara noticed the faraway look in his eyes. She wanted to give him some reassurance and had been trying, but none of her words seemed to be helping. Katara sighed gently before she reached for Zuko's hand before her fingers circled around his until their fingers were intertwined.

Zuko's eyes widened before he turned his head to the waterbender at his side. Her face and eyes only showed gentleness and nothing else was implied. Zuko looked down at their hands. He knew that she might be thinking about them differently after they embraced, but getting used to this new time and her being the only one that understood made him think about her slightly differently. But this was happening too fast, and he knew it. Zuko shook his head before pulling his hand away from her.

Katara physically reacted to this. Her eyes began to fill with tears as she tried to keep her wits about her. Did she really expect Zuko to be all loving and gentle just because of one returned hug? She knew better then that, but she quickly grew attached and quite clingy to the Prince because for the time being, he was all she had. Once that were standing at the entrance to the lunchroom, the shrill sound of the school bell went off. Katara jumped slightly at the noise, but Zuko stood stiffly.

After opening the door revealing white tables and the cafeteria workers walking around getting food ready before the lunch bell rang. Zuko headed toward the closest table before he sat down at it with Katara sitting next to him. Zuko rubbed his injured thigh as he waited for the dull pain to subside. It still hurt, but Zuko wasn't one to express pain very well, so he decided to act like it didn't hurt at all. Even to the point where it seemed to be miraculously healed overnight.

Katara folded her hands on her lap as her eyes remained on the white table in front of her. She began to play with the hem of the so-called skirt she was wearing. The color of the garment surprised her. The dyes that they had in their time usually produced an outcome of dull blues not like the shimmering blue this skirt was made out of. So many advances had been made in this time compared to theirs, and some people may think of that as an advantage, but the longer she stayed here, she realized that more people here were obsessed with their looks and what they wore.

Sex appeal seemed to be a large product in this time. Seeing all the printed figures on some of the students shirts would have been an absolute disgrace and worth punishing in their time. Violation of people was disgusting, but that wasn't the only thing. Katara realized that respect wasn't very important from some of the way that she overheard the students cussing out the teachers under their breaths when she assigned homework. Respect for any authority figure in the nations was taken very seriously, and this future was a disgrace to everything she held dear.

Katara wished she hadn't began that fight with Zuko, but it was way too late like she had told him previously, but secretly, she wanted to get home just as bad as he did. Maybe even more. "There you two are!" Marianne said as she walked through the lunchroom door. Their elderly caretaker walked over to the teenagers before she sat down on the opposite side of the table. "I had no idea you guys didn't know how to read! I wouldn't have sent you to school so soon if I knew that!" Marianne explained in a sympathetic voice.

"Well, it's too late now. All we can do is begin teaching them." Angelina stated as she walked into the cafeteria room.

"If they don't know the most rudimentary skills, they shouldn't have to be here until they learn." Marianne said in their defense as she looked back at the young teacher. Angelina gazed back at the elderly woman who had been a veteran teacher at this school in spite.

"They should know this stuff. Whatever country they came from should have taught them before sending them here. It's not my fault they don't know this stuff. They have to be at school. It's the law and I highly doubt you want them to drop out." Angelina replied with a slight bite in her voice.

"No country sent them! I found them in a park last night. What was I supposed to do? Make them stay there and leave them on the streets like rats?" Marianne asked. The elderly woman was now on her feet defending these teenagers who had already made such an impact on her life. They seemed lost and in need of someone understanding.

"You found them in a park?" Angelina growled with her hands now firmly planted on her hips. "How could you do something so stupid? They could be serial killers and you let them loose in our school without knowing anything about them! Look at them! Their hairstyles could be a new local gang! Look at the scar on this boys face!" Angelina shouted before she ripped the glasses from Zuko's face to reveal his scar that covered a large majority of the left side of his face. "Does this look like something as innocent as a birthmark? A car accident? I don't think so! Only fire could have done this! He could be an arsonist for all you know!"

Zuko flinched before he quickly took the glasses from her hand and placing them back on his face. Zuko was about to firebend her ass, but Katara's hand grabbed his hand before pulling it down under the table. "No…" Katara whispered to the Prince as she tried to keep the tears in her eyes from leaking out.

"Stop that!" Marianne shouted back. "How dare you treat him like that! He's only a child!"

"A child? Have you seen his body? He looks like he's been bench-pressing his entire life!" Angelina retorted as she pointed at the obvious muscles rippling under his shirt. "How do you know he isn't a gang member?" Angelina continued as the two teenagers sitting at the lunch table became more and more aggravated at the yelling between the two women.

"Because that same young man who accuse of being an arsonist just because something bad might have happened to him as a child just saved my life this morning!" Marianne replied stiffly as she placed her hand on Zuko's shoulder.

"That could just be a cover-up!" Angelina shouted back.

"You believe what you want. I can't change your mind about these kids. You have only been here a short time and you obviously care more about your position of power over these children then their educations. I have been teaching at this school for a very long time and I believe that no child should be left behind no matter what kind of background they have. No matter what you may think, I can tell that these kids are very bright and they will be taught the basics even if I have to do it alone." Marianne stated in a very professional tone as she stared blankly at Angelina.

Angelina let out a deep sigh forgetting how hardheaded this woman in front of her was. "Fine. But you're not doing this alone. I can't trust these kids just yet but they deserve to be taught the basics before they carry on with the work. I'm keeping an eye on them though until they prove to me that they can be trusted. That'll be all for now. They should go home and be taught there for at least a week before I attempt to start teaching them here." Angelina replied before she headed out the door.

Marianne squeezed Zuko's shoulder after she left. "You alright?" Marianne asked the young man whose eyes were fixated on the white table in front of them. Katara was still holding his hand. The young waterbender was just as surprised as Zuko was that she could be so insensitive to the mark on Zuko's face.

"I'm fine." Zuko replied before he flinched off Marianne's hand from his shoulder. Zuko gripped Katara's hand before he quickly and inconspicuously let go of it.

"Alright then. Let's go home." Marianne said before smiling and heading toward the door.

"You shouldn't be worried about anything that lady said, Zuko." Katara whispered to try to assure the Prince as they both stood up from the table.

"I know. You just should be glad that you stopped me when you did." Zuko replied with a sense of anger in his voice as they headed slowly for the door.

"You wouldn't have hurt her, would you?" Katara asked.

"I don't know what I would have done…" Zuko replied as they followed Marianne out of the double doors. Katara sighed deeply when she heard those words. She could understand how hard it was not to use your element. She had felt the same pain last night when she had to just stand by and seen how much longer Zuko's leg would take to heal the natural way instead of using her healing abilities on it. Katara feared that she wouldn't be able to waterbending for a long time. Waterbending was so natural to her, and to hold it back in a typical situation was going to be hard.

Once the three were outside and in the car once again, they began to drive back to the only place the two teens would have to call home until they figured out how to get back to the time where they belonged.

(To Be Continued…)


	6. Comfort

**_Future Perspective – Chapter 6 – Unwelcomed Comfort – By SetoAngel01_**

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, so please do not sue me!

**Thanks for all the reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

(On With The Story!)

Zuko sighed deeply as he lay deep into the soft seats. Katara noticed his behavioral change in the Prince since they left the cafeteria. She couldn't reassure him of anything. With every second that passed, the hope they would get back home got slimmer and slimmer. She was hoping they would get back soon before Zuko got any suicidal tendencies, but the fact that they may never return was a burden that was very great. "Zuko, giving up hope is something we shouldn't do." Katara whispered, hoping Marianne, who was sitting in the front seat, wouldn't hear their conversation.

"I've already given up. If we ever find this supposed spirit, what are the chances it'll let us return?" Zuko asked as his arms intertwined across his chest.

Katara sighed when he heard the Prince's answer. Think about it. They were 1800 years in the future, no knowledge of anything that this time was about, no home, not even the rudimentary skills, and it was a miracle in itself that they knew how to speak the same language. Katara had no idea why it had to happen, and wondered if some higher power was just playing a sick joke, because she sure wasn't laughing. Being stuck in this time with her mortal enemy was bad enough, but a part of her believed that maybe this was supposed to happen, as strange as that might sound.

"Are you two alright back there?" Marianne asked from the front seat as she looked back in her rear-view mirror and was able to see the two teenagers who seemed to be deep in their thoughts.

"We're fine, Marianne." Katara answered for both of them after she leaned forward slightly. The strange clothes on her body felt wrong and out of proportion as she itched to get to Marianne's house to get back into her normal Water Tribe robes.

"Okay. Well, I think you two must be starving, so how about we go get something to eat since you two didn't seem to like the broth I made last night." Marianne asked. Katara got a little embarrassed because she remembered telling her brother time after time not to waste food, when she just did the same thing last night.

Katara wasn't really hungry on account of all the stressful occurrences going on, but she looked over at Zuko to see if he might feel differently. Katara's blue eyes shifted their eyes from the car seat in front of her over to the Fire Nation Prince. A sympathetic look washed itself upon Katara's face as she watched Zuko gingerly touching his scar with his fingertips. Katara watched Zuko's fingers tracing along the ridge detail of his scar as she pictured what could be on the Prince's mind.

"So, how about it?" Marianne asked again as she looked in the rearview mirror at the teens once she reached a red light. Katara sighed deeply after turning her eyes away from Zuko as she felt herself get slightly nauseated for a reason she didn't know yet.

Zuko's fingertips left his face before his eyes curiously turned toward Katara as he awaited an answer. Zuko noticed the pained look in her face as he watched her hands make their way to clutch her stomach gently and she hunched over slightly as if she was about to vomit.

"No." Zuko answered for them as Marianne just nodded in understanding before she began to drive once again once the light turned green. Katara glimpsed back at the Prince and they momentarily locked eyes. Zuko was the first to turn away as if he had nothing of vague importance to say to the waterbender. Katara's eyes still remained on Zuko as they continued to approach their destination.

A few moments later, Marianne parked near the sidewalk that leads to the house. "Alright. We're here." Marianne informed the two teenagers, who were still a bit lost within their own clouded minds. The elderly woman gave the two teenagers a saddened glance as she was still in the dark about who they were. They claimed they were from places that hadn't existed in millennia and Marianne didn't know if that was an act or they were really telling the truth.

Zuko scooted out of the car and Katara quickly followed behind him. After they were back in the house, Katara immediately ran up the stairs and walked into the room. She found her Water Tribe clothes on the floor and a lump made its way into Katara's throat.

Katara's slow footsteps took her toward the discarded clothing until she finally was standing next to them. Her knees buckled when she felt a consignment of tears formed into her azure eyes. After she was kneeling at what remained of her past, she picked up the garments in her arms and took a deep breath of the slightly tattered clothing. It smelt of the sea and obviously the smell of Appa's fur after so many run-ins with the giant bison. The face of Aang and her brother made its way into her troubled mind as the tears that were forming were now falling steadily along her downward face.

Her fingers gently traced the ruptured sections of the clothing as the fibers of it gave away to the weight of Katara's fingers, making indentations in the finely woven robes. Katara's eyes closed as a gentle smile crossed her face at the recalled memory when her mother gave her this dress. It was her birthday and the robes were a bit oversized for her still underdeveloped adolescent body. Katara happily accepted it before giving her mother a hug. Katara placed the fabric up against her face as she took in a breath of the scent that would be quickly gone within time.

Katara's tears kept running as she held onto the fabric. Her eyes slid open when she hears faint footsteps nearing the door before they completely stopped. Katara's grip loosened on her blue robes as she lowered them until they were lying next to folded legs. She didn't immediately turn to whoever stood at her door, but the aura and demeanor of the silence gave it away.

"What is it?" came Katara's strained voice. Her throat was dry from her crying and dry sobs. She didn't want to look at the person standing at the door because she felt weak and venerable at this point.

No answer came after a few moments of complete and total silence except for a few exasperated breaths from the waterbender. Katara was about to turn around to confront the person at the door, but instead, she felt something brush up behind her before they turned slightly until they stood next to her. They knelt down next to the waterbender's side as Katara quickly wiped away her tears before they could see them.

A gentle sigh broke the silence as they finally knelt down until they were now seated next to Katara. The waterbender's azure eyes slowly began to focus on the figure sitting next to her. She slowly began to take in the features of the figure until her eyes were now softly focused on the Prince's scarred face. Zuko's eyes were drawn to her discarded garments that Katara's fingers will still grasping. He understood immediately why she wanted to hold onto them, and knew he couldn't judge her for this.

He too missed their time. He missed his uncle's encouraging words and dedicated training. As much as he hated to admit it, he also desperately missed that welcomed hug his uncle usually greeted him with in the early morning. Zuko had never felt this overflow of emotions in such a long time and without his uncle here, it was hard enough to hold yourself together because he felt as if he was expecting to fall apart at any moment.

The hardest thing for Zuko was the fact that he would never gain his father's love if they were stuck in this time. His whole life, he was striving to please his father. He wanted his father to acknowledge his pride in him and welcome him back with open arms. He wanted to prove himself worthy in his father's eyes, but the dreadful reality was now hitting him like a ton of bricks. Something he worked his entire life for was ever going to be fulfilled. The only thing Zuko had to look forward to now was when death finally took him from this horrible time.

Zuko's eyes redirected to look at Katara, who had looked away in shame of her tears. Her face held an unexplained tenderness when it was focused on the clothes her fingers were around. The last piece of her past was now being held, and all it turned out to be was a piece of blue fabric held firmly in her slender hands. Zuko got a pang of guilt when he realized she was in this with him and was probably feeling even worse than he. This girl sitting next to him actually had a happier future in front of her in their time then the Prince could even fathom.

The Prince knew his life was most likely going to be exactly as his forefather's lives had been. Get an arranged marriage, have children, try not to screw up the kingdom, and finally die. It was nothing to look forward to, but Zuko knew that it was his destiny and no matter what else he wanted in life, it was already chosen for him. So many times, Zuko wished it could be different. In a way, he envied the waterbender. Her life was supposedly simple. She had people around her that loved her so much, and all that surrounded Zuko back home in the Fire Nation was an overbearing father and a demented sister. It didn't seem like much of a life, but he still craved it if it meant his father would accept him.

No words befell them at this time. The silence was slightly comforting to the benders as they still thought of something decent to say. Zuko still didn't know what brought him to come up to her room to see her, but there was something bugging him in the back of his mind that brought him to do it. He felt as if he should try to reassure her that everything would turn out the way it was supposed to eventually. Zuko denied that he was actually trying to be caring toward her, but after everything that had already happened between them, it was already apparent that it was time to let go of some of his arrogant pride to focus on getting back, because he's even admit that he needed her help to do so.

"Listen… I'm not very qualified to provide comfort to anybody, but watching you break down is something I don't think should become a daily occurrence." Zuko informed in his normal voice that held little or no emotion. Katara listened to his words, but they provided little comfort. She knew Zuko was only trying to help, but she felt as if he didn't understand what she was going through.

This situation happened so fast and spiraled out of control before Katara really even fully realized what had actually occurred. It felt as if she was still in an outlandish dream that had no end in sight. Her heart ached to be back with her family and she would give anything to be with them again at this moment. She still felt alone because the Prince provided no comfort to her. He was so cold and she longed for the warmth of open arms instead of false hopes and emotionless speculation of how they could get out of this place.

The Prince stayed silent as Katara was trying to digest everything that was happening. She wanted to allow herself to breakdown, but she felt as if the only thing she actually possessed at this point was her self-control, and she wasn't ready to surrender it. Katara took a deep breath before she recalled her optimism she had when she was still living in the time of war and danger. This time was so safe, but to her, it was so alien and frightening that it made her feel out of breath. She felt the feel of tears threaten to spill, and this time, she let them even if it meant looking weak in front of her enemy whom she now hypothesized that she had to get along with if she still had any expectation of returning home.

Zuko noticed the steady stream of crystalline tears falling down the waterbender's eyes and wished he had the kind of courage she possessed. She was willing to cry in front of him and didn't seem to care. That kind of strength was one you couldn't even find in the Fire Nation. Strength in his country meant the person who was the last one standing on a battlefield when everyone around you has been killed. Crying was a sign of weakness, but his mother told Zuko that it took more unbridled amounts of strength to be able to cry and not be ashamed of it than to kill an entire battlefield of sword wielding warriors.

Zuko was still speculating whether Katara needed comfort but knew he probably wasn't the one Katara had in mind to comfort her. They may be 1800 years in the future, but no amount of time changed the fact that they were still enemies. Zuko knew the hatchet couldn't be buried, because if they did find a way back, it would be the same thing. They would find themselves on different sides of the battleground, and fighting to protect or destroy what they saw fit. Zuko wanted his country to win and Katara wanted to save the prosecuted countries.

They were exact opposites found in the same situation and they had to learn to get along if they held any hope of returning back. Katara felt Zuko's eyes remain on her as a lump rose in her throat from her devastating sadness. She was trying to keep it together, but she was slowly crumbling apart. Katara finally allowed her face to fall into her clothing as she hunched over and began to sob. Zuko watched her fall apart as he fought with his better half to do the right thing.

Zuko felt his breath grow short as he kept looking on toward the waterbender. Whatever his mother had told him about respecting the other elements and nations was finally breaking the hold his father had on him. Zuko had become so obsessed with capturing the Avatar, but in this time, there was nothing he could do to get his father's love here. All he could do was get back home and hope it would all turn out to be normal. But to get back home, he would need her.

Zuko would have to rely on the one girl he was supposed to despised and vice-versa. Zuko was still deciding if this was planned or fate was just toying with him, he'd have to think of later on, but right now, only one thing mattered. It would take losing his pride, but Zuko knew it was a small price to pay to return back home. With that thought, he bent down slightly before wrapping his arms around the trembling waterbender.

(To Be Continued…)


End file.
